PM to join [The Bronze Woods]Into The Woods...(Garland and Tiath)

[Alexander Ross]

Alexander Ross Alexander stood in a daze and watched as the bandit fell, his shaking knees barely able to support his weight. He had absolutely no experience with killing, and he had a hard time believing that he had just taken another man's life. The only thing that could explain how he felt, was a little short of traumatized. When he was much younger, he had heard stories of war and bloodshed, and Alex figured he would be excited if the time ever came for him to join in on a battle. But now that he was really there, he felt much different. What bothered him most was that he had no idea if the man had friends, a wife, or even children that would be awaiting the man's return. He not only took a person's life, but he may just as well have ruined someone else's. Four more men suddenly lumbered out, looking as if they were barely able to stand up, much less swing a sword. There was a sudden popping sound as the head of the man Alex had taken down was crushed beneath the weight of one of the men's feet. Oh, way to make the sight even worse... "Alex, look alive, more of them." Garland said, snapping the boy out of his daze. Alex shook his head and raised his sword, ready for the onslaught. "Yeah... I see that..." He said, gagging a bit. Don't lose your stomach now, you petching idiot! There's still work to be done! He thought to himself, taking deep breaths to calm his racing heart. Forcing the previous thoughts from his head, he gripped the hilt of his sword and raised his shield, preparing to take out another one. This time, deciding to take a strike at a bandit's chest. Before anything could be done, however, Garland attracted all of the attention by suddenly shouted a string of cocky insults. Completely ignoring Alex, the four men raised their weapons and charged at Garland, who reacted fairly quickly. Alex stood there for a moment watching the onslaught, admiring the way Garland held them off. Of course, with how stupid and piss-drunk they were, anyone with some weapon experience could have dispatched these men. But still, Garland was one worthy of some admiration in Alex's opinion. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the bushes rustling, obviously ready to reveal at least three more bandits. Deciding that Garland was to busy, he decided to confront them himself... much to his distaste. With a firm grip on his sword and his shield raised and ready, he cautiously approached. Before he could call out, three men waddled out of the darkness, looking just as drunk and stupid as the rest of them. They looked him up and down, then tilted their heads back and boomed with laughter. "Look at 'im! Can't barely even hold a sword! The little guy looks about ready to piss himself!" One of them said, causing them to howl with laughter. This, of course, made any worry that Alex felt suddenly drain away, only to be replaced with seething anger. He hated being laughed at. "When I'm done with you, the only place I'll be pissing is on your beaten, bloody corpse. In fact, I think I'll spell my name on your forehead." He retorted in a low, growling tone. This, however, was only followed by more rough cackling. It was an extremely annoying sound that plagued his ears, and all he wanted to do was put an end to it. For the man closest to him, the only warning he had was a threatening glare from Alex, before the boy dashed forward and thrust his sword streight into the man's mouth. There was a split second of resistance, before the muscle tissue in the back of the man's neck finally gave way, allowing the silver blade to protrude through the skin, coated in fresh blood. The man's laughter suddenly shifted into loud, throaty gurgles, drowning in his own blood, before he went down in a twitching heap. With a tug, Alex pulled his sword from the man's neck, watching a fountain of crimson spray from the wound. Pumped with adrenaline and fury, the boy glared at the other two men. "So... who's next?" He said, tapping his sword on his shield as he had seen Garland do. The men stood there for a moment longer, a dazed look on their faces at witnessing the death of their comrade. Once they had recovered, they razed their weapons and charged the boy. One took a slash at his chest, but Alex already had his shield held in that position before the attack was made. He winced a bit as his arm shook from the sudden impact, and recoiled a bit only to counter by stabbing at the man's solar plexus. To his satisfaction, the man was slow to react and the sword hit its mark, the tip vanishing in the man's clothes only to be replaced with a steady stream of blood. As he went down, Alex dropped his guard for a split second before his sword arm was suddenly knocked aside, and a burning pain seethed in the crook of his elbow. Alex yelped and raised his shield, acting upon pure reflex. He stumbled backward as the bandit's sword struck the shield, his back finding the hard, rough surface of a tree. His sword arm was too numb to rais his sword and attack, and only hung limply at his side, blood dripping down his fingertips from the wound in his arm. "Garland!" He called, hiding behind his shield.

[Tiath Othos]

Tiath continued to ward off blows from the two, redirecting each blow away from him and into the ground, each blow allowing the pain to continue to ripple from his foot as he was pressed further. His thoughts were running wild as he tried to find away out of where he was. He knew the answer already. He steeled himself as the next swing came at him, causing the blow to lance of his sword, leaving the man completely open for a counter attack. He heistated for a moment before beinging to steel himself to strike the blow. It was at that moemnt that the woman from the forest drawing his gaze away from the bandits as she fell to the floor. He panicked and looked back up to the bandits, it took him a moment to realise that one of the bandits had been delt with. The final bandit and him locked eyes for a moment before both glancing down at the women, neither of them moving for the moment as they were both as surprised at eachother.

They both jumped back with surprise as the woman moved again, another soul leaving the area in an instant. Panic again filled him as the woman had her back to him, his hands wrapping tighter around the sword as he brung it up into a defensive postition. His mind begun to play tricks, she obivously wasn't human and the way she had taken out those two seemed to be too unnaturallay graceful in the movements. He knew that if he struck at her now, he believed that he would be dead before he the blade even reached their hair. The moment the woman turned to him, he gave up lowering his gaze aswell as the sword in defeat.

"We should go."

The well of emotions that came up with as she spoke those words was a little too much for him to bare at the moment but the main part was releif, he couldn't bring himself to say a word but barely managed a slight nod before he begun to follow her back towards the clearing, following in her footsteps perfectly with his head held low, a slight trembling that he couldn't shake. He glanced up at her for a moment, a mix of awe and wonder crossing his face as he finaly had a proper chance to look at her before he again dropped his head again in embarressment.

They soon entered back into the clearing where everything had started and themselves between the two fights, with one man fighting multiple and the other fight a few, he glanced at the lady before he found himself moving towards the younger one, he watched as a sword bite into an arm and stepped up his pace slightly, the pain intensifing. He had no clue if wounded one would count him as an enemy or an ally but it was obvious the woman had left them alive so that must have counted for something. He stepped to the mans right as another blow rained onto the shield, he caught the next one with his sword, doing this his perfered way and making the blade glance towards the ground before swinging heavily down ontop of it, causing it to wrenched from the mans grasp.

[Eluri]

Eluri wasn't exactly waiting for the boy to acknowledge her light, and rather off-handed, suggestion but she stayed for him. It was quite obvious from what she had witnessed that the boy, despite not having told her his name, was timid to a fault. Anyone could tell that he was adverse towards the thought of killing another to defend himself, and that sent a spike of tenderness through the woman's demeanor. She couldn't quite understand the mentality of not defeating an enemy that means to kill you, but she respected his soft heart and decision. And so, just as she received his acknowledgement, the daughter of Leth decided to protect him whenever she deemed it right.

It was a light nod, barely noticeable in the dim lighting that seemed to have swallowed the ethaefal and her remaining companion, but she saw it for what it was. Snapping back to attention Eluri couldn't help but notice the burning sensation that swept through her body in waves. It was strong, the acrobatic maneuver's backlash easily identified due to the epicenter of the pain, but it wasn't debilitating. Every step she took made the pain flash and sear through her calves and thighs, bringing her back to the day she had almost died from the cold, but she pressed on through her muscle aches. It was as if she didn't feel it let alone have it, her facial expressions told nothing but solemn grace, but she did. She wasn't invulnerable, she knew that, but her life, her pain and suffering, was insignificant to her. The safety of children and innocents always came first.

With a rustle and snap of the forest litter, Eluri strode back to the clearing that she had been in merely minutes before. It had been serene and beautiful at the beginning of the night, untainted by the blood of cretins and fools, but now it wasn't so. The rancid and metallic tang smell of spilt innards and wasted blood carried in the breeze, tingeing the air red and black with death. It was disgusting to breathe in, polluting every intake with the rot that was already festering cell by cell, but Eluri remained impassive. She didn't have an opinion on the stench other then that it stank and a beacon for all manners of unsavory creatures of the night.

When she finally arrived at the clearing, the Lethaefal noticed Garland first, his relatively bulky stature saturated with blood. It wasn't a surprise, not with what had took place there that night, but the stench that wafted from him, and the number of bodies that littered the scarlet mud, became a deterrent for any sensitive being around. Of course that wasn't Eluri since she gave no shykes about the dead pests that lie crumpled on the ground, but it was mostly because the man could take care of himself. He had obviously proved that with the display of bodies around him.

The second figure, however, was not quite as easy to make out. Eluri, despite being a generally observant not-so-little lady, had completely missed the boy being assailed altogether until her companion had dashed out to take matters into his own hands. It was a foolish move in her opinion, something that could do more damage than good, but Alexander, if she recalled the boy's name properly, was in obvious distress. Eluri couldn't argue with that though, with helping a fellow civilian and ally, especially when they were being battered by a guiltless bandit.

Alexander's cry for Garland merely sealed the bandit's fate.

With a light inhale and exhale, Eluri gathered what little remained of her energy and dashed towards the bandit. Long legs aflame with searing pain and aching muscles, the ethaefal flew across the distance in equally as long strides. She was completely focused on ending the bandit, her pain forgotten for that moment as she took one last step and propelled herself just as he was unarmed, her blade dancing through the air as she instinctively rolled into a ball.

Landing on the ground behind the bandit with light thump, the moonlit lady sprung back to her feet, thrusting her flickering sword through yet another man's skull. It was a messy way to end a living creature, but it was efficient and fast. Pushing herself past the brink of her skills and endurance for the final time, the woman put her weight into her blade and propelled herself over the dead man's upright body. With no protection to hinder her blade, Eluri cut through bone and tissue with ease, her propulsion and weight making the blade all the sharper. It was her final maneuver, and something she found could be useful in combat, but she was no longer fit to defeat anymore bandits.

As her adrenaline petered out, her blood no longer thrumming in a dangerous tempo, Eluri collapsed onto the floor. The prolonged coursing of adrenaline left her weak and without energy, especially after she had pushed herself much too far and much too fast to actually allow her body to acclimatize. There had been no practice prior to the events following the sword's discovery, and the use of such skilled actions, even if they had been merely accidental flukes that somehow shadowed her past, left her exhausted. It was an exhaustion that wracked her body and stole her thoughts away.

Gripping onto her sword, now impaled into the ground as a cane of sorts, Eluri could just wring out a trickle of her energy. It wasn't enough to support her body, that job had been allocated to the sword for now, but it was enough to complete a crucial task that she had meant to do long ago. One that reminded her cruelly that she still had a task, a promise, that she had to complete, keep and amend.

"Your are both unhurt?"

It was a simple question, a matter of courtesy and concern for most, but there was a weight in hers. It was palpable, yet ephemeral, but it carried with it relief and concern of such purity that Yahal would have been proud of. She was facing the duo, despite having seated herself at a wonky angle, and as she saw that not much damage had been done, nothing fatal, she laughed for the first time in that reincarnation. A sweet note that warmed children up, something not unexpected of those of her race, but it was one that spoke depths. It spoke of her fragmented memories that held too much meaning, and yet spoke not enough. And it spoke of a struggle that was swamped in bitter sweetness.

It was also her last laugh for quite some time, as a dizziness and lethargy pulled her away from the sword and into the Wood's embrace.

And in the midst of it all, she smiled for all that it was worth. Like a fleeting ray of moonlight in a stormy sky.

[Garland]

Garland heard Alex's cry for help, but he was a bit preoccupied at the moment with two large brutes on him. Luckily enough for the fedora wearing squire that duo that ran off into the woods bursts back into the scene and rescued the boy from the sloppy onslaught from the bandit he was fighting.

After the battle was done with only one bandit leaving the fight alive, Garland sheathed his sword and ran over to Alex. "Shyke, you'll be fine, but we need to stop the bleeding... Hmmm... Just hold on to it Alex, I'll find some cloth to bind the wound. I knew we should have brought some medical supplies." He said and looked at the two and grabbed the newcomer's sleeve and ripped it off without so much as batting an eye.

He bent down and looked at Alex's wound. "It's not too bad, just a light gash. You'll be back up and fighting in no time." He said and grabbed his arm. "Might hurt a bit." He forced the wound close and wrapped the ripped cloth on his arm. "I wish I could do more, but we don't really have any other supplies... and well... I don't actually know what I'm doing, but it will hopefully stop the bleeding."

He looked over to Eluri and then Tia. "Any of you know how to ride a horse? Alex can't ride in his condition." He then looked at Tia specifically. "You, we're going to have to question you later, its obvious you aren't part of the bandits but its still strange that you were out alone at night."

Garland helped Alex up and picked up Alex's sword. "Come on, we'll talk on the way back to the horses, follow me." He said and started walking towards the direction they came from.

[Alexander Ross]

Alexander Ross Alexander grunted in pain as the bandit's weapon struck against his shield yet again, his left arm now growing numb from the impact. If this man had any smarts at all, he would knock the boy's shield aside and then attack. Luckily for him though, the man looked as if he barely knew how to hold a sword, more or less know how to knock a shield away. His longsword slipped from his grasp and hit the ground with an audible clang, and he gasped as the pain from the open wound suddenly began to grow worse, before suddenly feeling a bit warm. He clenched his teeth and tensed up, preparing for another bone-rattling strike on his shield, but it never came. Why am I doing this...? He thought, peeking over his shield just in time to see a boy seeming to be around his age knock the weapon from the bandit's hand before he could take another strike. He waited for the boy to finish him off, but before he could, the woman they had met up with suddenly dashed back across the clearing, the tip of her sword meeting the back of the man's head. Alex watched with wide eyes as the man fell to a heap on the floor, now nothing more than a pile of flesh and bones with no soul to keep it alive. He saw as the woman's adrenaline visibly drained away and she collapsed, using her sword to support her weight. "You are both unhurt?" She asked, the concern clear in her voice despite her current state of exhaustion. Breathing heavily, Alex lowered his shield and let it hang limply at his side, his previous burst of energy beginning to wear off. "I... I think so... What about you? You look like you're about to pass out..." He replied, pushing himself off the tree. He gave his wounded arm a single glance, before shrugging it off and taking a few shaky steps toward the two. The wound bothered him, yes, but it was clear that he cared more about the safty of those around him than his own. He glanced at Garland as the squire ran to his aid, bending to look at the cut, before he suddenly turned ripped off one of the newcomer's sleeves. "Come on, it's not that ba- ahhhd!" He said, tensing up in pain as Garland forced the wound closed, tying the sleeve around it. He once again leaned up against the tree as the squire began talking to the others. Whatever else that had been said was lost to him as the boy began to get his thoughts together. Was that really him? Had he really just dispatched two bandits out of pure rage? It was not like him, and at the very thought... As Garland began walking back to their horses, Alex suddenly doubled over and vomited. He stayed there for a minute longer, coughing and sputtering. So... This is what it feels like to be a knight...

[Tiath Othos]

It was a moment that would be burned into his mind for the rest of his life and would haunt his nights for a long time to come. He had started to pull away from the disarmed bandit, deeming him no longer a threat as without a weapon and in his drunken stupor, the thought of having to take further action against the man never crossing his mind. It was at that moment that he saw the edge of a blade pass by him, heading towards the man’s skull, he could only open his mouth slight as he tried yell for them not to kill the man. He was unable to tear his gaze away as he watched the blade plunge into the man’s skull, the form of the lady following it as she sailed past him, flipping over the top of the bandit gracefully as blade cleanly passed through the skull with ease. He stood there frozen in place as he just stared at the body as it slowly fell to the ground, A mix of feelings rising within him like the bile that came with it, freezing him on the spot and leaving him in a state of shock, he couldn't grasp how someone could cut down someone who wasn't able to fight back.

He was stuck in mental spiral as the woman spoke, snapping him out of it as she asked them if they were hurt or not. He managed to shake his head the tiniest amount again in response as he just stared at her for a moment, unsure of what to think of her, a murderer one moment then asking if they were ok the next. He became aware of how unsteady she was looking and the way that she was heavily leaning against the propped sword, he was about to open his mouth to ask if she needed to sit down or anything before she begun to laugh. Lowering his head to hide the slight smile, he left himself ease up a bit the conflicting feeling being pushed to the back of his mind. You can sort it all out later, for now just smile, your alive surrounded by people who know what their doing and seem friendly enough. The smile didn’t last as long as he would have wanted as he lifted his gaze to find the lady beginning to sink to the ground.

He started to move in order to try and offer a hand but he felt something grab onto his sleeve, panic rising in him as turned, picturing a bandit grabbing him from the shadows being one that they somehow had missed. His fear turned to anger as he found the larger knight was the one who had grabbed onto him and tore the sleave off his shirt without a word to him, his eye narrowing on the back of the man as he walked away. A harsh word dying on lips as he thought better of it, glancing towards the one that the knight was focused on taking care of, he could understand why the knight would so intent on treating but it didn't mean that he could justify in treating someone like that. He held his angry gaze for a moment longer before he turned around and went over to the fallen lady to make sure she was ok, scolding himself for being distracted by the man. He still wasn't sure on what to think of her with the way she had deemed other lives unredeemable and snuffed them out where she saw fit but he couldn't be mad at her either, after all she had saved him.

He moved towards her slowly, placing his sword back into its scabbard so that he wouldn't seem threating, he was still very wary of her even tho she had saved his life, she had shown a great proficiency in killing and was now seemingly passed out which meant she could lash out without thinking. A slight shiver running down his spin as he closed the distance so that he could kneel down at her side, hovering by her "Are you ok?" He asked quietly, not sure if she was going to respond to him or if she was completely passed out. He was at a loss at what he should do as he glanced over her, checking to see if she had obtained any wounds or was bleeding but he really knew nothing of what he should be looking for besides big red splodges, which was the extent of his medical knowledge on what to look for, that or broken bones.

He was about to offer her a hand when the knight spoke to them from his comrade who he seemed to be done with bandaging his wounds, It doesn’t look bad? He should be fine, well at least I hope he is ok , he thought to himself before giving the knight his full attention. He gave a slight nod as he was questioned about if he could ride, not bothering to state that while he could ride a horse he could not do it to any more extent than staying on it and getting it to go in the right direction, he also didn't think he was addressing the lady at that point either for obvious reasons. However it the next part that got to him, he opened and closed his mouth a few times, half about to defend himself and half about to apologise for the trouble he had caused. I know that I shouldn't have been out here, that was really stupid of me... I didn’t want to cause anyone any trouble... But I also helped didn't I? He lowered his head slightly and just gave a nod, now wasn't the time and he was going to have to talk himself out of the situation later.

He returned his gaze back to the woman and spoke quietly and quickly, stumbling over his words as he rushed them out, "Um.. Miss, I am sorry but the knight wants us to follow him and you don't really seem to up to walking and I am sorry about this" His slowly became more and more red as he spoke before he took a slight breath and quickly place his arms under her back and legs before lifting her up. She is lighter then I would have thought.. Tho I don’t really pick up people often either... He made sure that either she still grasped the sword or that he would somehow managed to grab it in a hand without stabbing either of them before starting to follow the knight, taking it really slow and keeping his gaze fixated on the back of the knight's head, pain still slightly flaring with each step from his foot but it was no longer as unbearable as earlier when he had first kicked the root. Sorry sorry sorry was all that he was thinking, hoping that somehow he didn't manage to look completely moronic and that she would understand.

oocUh if I screwed anything up please just pm me..

[Eluri]

With the help of Leth's gentle light, Eluri came to shortly after having fallen to the ground in exhaustion. Her senses were still in disarray, the swirling chaos of exhaustion drawing everything into its vortex, but it had begun to calm as the moonlight swathed her in its nourishing blanket. And, one by one, those very sense returned.

The first to come back was her hearing. Rustling and whispering through the Spring canopy of the woods, the wind brought to her the news that they, the little rag tag group she and the three men made, were on the move. She could hear the sound of the drop of their footfall and the crisp crunching of last season's leaves, the noise of snapping twigs and snorting horses, and the clear breath of someone nearby. It was a light huffing, mixing with the wind and rustling leaves, but it was all Eluri needed to determine that the small skirmish was over. Calm, steady and relaxed, it was all Eluri needed to hear. However, with nothing to rely on besides her hearing, Eluri noticed that the animals were no longer singing their ballads of the night.

As her smell and touch returned, the ethaefal's world expanded once more to encompass everything that she could usually see, hear, taste and feel. She still couldn't see, a minor setback as a result of pushing her physical limits, but it wasn't all that concerning to her. With her other senses ablaze after the sensory silence, her vision was reduced to merely a bonus as her other senses picked up details that one acclimatised to the world would usually not. The taste of the wind, freed from its veil of death and spilt blood, was clear and alive with the spirit of Spring as it swept over her skin. Green, moist and smooth as liquid the air was a balm to her aching muscles and flesh, limp and sore with all the jumping and unfamiliar skills she had no recollection of learning. Like muscle memory, she knew how to perform it but did not know she even knew it, let alone knew that she was able to do so. Nonetheless, she was too weak and unfamiliar to execute with prowess and grace. And to reenact what she had done earlier, with the same unpracticed grace and control, would be disastrous. Her body was already saying no to the very thought, rebelling with the flaming aches held back by the cool night air and the moon's restorative properties to her race.

She could feel the rocking motion, the up and downs of movement, without walking herself. It was easy to tell from the way her body bobbed up and down, how the wind shifted slightly and splashed over her skin, how her hair tugged and her horns bobbed with weight and gravity. But it didn't really come as a surprise to her when she realised that she was being carried, steady arms supporting her in a highly interesting carry befitting a dame in the arms of her saviour. She was a very factual kind of woman, usually undaunted and impassive, and took things as they were unless her emotions were needed. As such, the fact that she was being carried didn't faze her as a lady generally would be. It made her think of reenacting what she had seen some do in the city of Syliras, to kick and to demand to be let down, but she found it a waste of energy. What kind of fool would waste their recently regained energy in rejecting other's help?

And so, laying in the arms of whichever member of the group was carrying her, Eluri held on to her blade, the sword haphazardly laid across her torso. The ethaefal was waiting, still, to see what would happen now that the battle was over. The songs of the night were gone and the earth was saturated with fresh blood and littered with corpses, a perfect lure for the creatures of the hunt, and yet nothing was happening. The ragtag party was heading to the horses, their snorting drawing closer with every step, as if the night hadn't fallen into chaos the way it did. It was just too smooth and something was lingering at the back of her mind, a memory or feeling that she had before her fatigue pulled her under.

It was troubling, the feeling of being unable to recall something important, and Eluri couldn't shake it off. She never could. Not now, not then, and the weight of it all was getting heavier as time went by. The mystery of her memories and the dread only made it worse, as if there was a locked chest with a piece of her inside it. And now, stained with the blood of others, her foothold in her tidal wave of snippets of memories and morals grew uncertain. She couldn't decide whether or not what she had done was good or not, despite her certainty before. The look she had seen on the nameless boy's face had only registered now, and it made her falter. Those men had taken the lives of others, that much she knew, but couldn't she have spared them? Would they have changed their ways if they were shown compassion and mercy?

It was as if everything she had taken for fact was being questioned, her world being flipped on its head. Her sword, its cool blade merciless as it split the light that splashed on it, no longer felt so reassuring. She couldn't blame it all on her sword, nor could she blame it on the bandits for initiating the assault and confrontation, it wasn't right to do so. To do such a thing was to deny her own actions and her beliefs in saving the helpless. "It was all the work of the sword" would not suffice, a fool and coward's approach in taking another's life, but she couldn't stay adrift either. Being merciful meant trusting others, but being merciless meant robbing an individual of a chance to redeem themselves. She would be no different from the bandits in the way they took the lives of those innocents. A fool could learn, but a corpse could not.

Amidst all the thought and reasoning, Eluri recovered her vision. It was a subtle change, Syna having taken the radiance of day with her as she descended from the sky, too light for the ethaefal to notice as her thoughts drifted. "Who am I?" she thought as her perception of the world, her reality, rippled like the pools of blood she left behind in her wake. Aimless, purposeless, and only looking for answers to questions that only grew from the answers, the opalescent maiden finally drew to a conclusion.

Her foothold on the world of morality still uncertain and unsteady, the loss of her determination and confidence palpable, Eluri accepted it all and opened her eyes. Returning to the present, to the material world, she looked around her. Seeking out the injured squire, Alexander, Eluri tried to find him in the blinding darkness. It couldn't have been too long ago that the horses sounded quite a few paces away, but now they sounded closer than ever.

They were hoofing the detritus, their snorts clearly growing more agitated as the creatures of the night grew alert of the blood, their blood chilling calls ringing across the forest. She could see them, their eyes glinting in what little light Leth shed over them, healing his daughter and nourishing her despite all of her misgivings. And it was precisely that, Leth's light, that fueled her determination for that moment. In a wave of recollection, Eluri remembered what Leth meant to her, what he stood for, and why she was devoted to him as a daughter, a follower, and as one of his chosen.

As she was once again strong enough to walk on her two feet, the silvery-blue haired girl drew her gaze back from the horses, her search for Alexander over having spotted him. She knew who was carrying her, who had taught her what it meant to be living and breathing, and whispered what she had wished to say to him. Her gratitude was as real as her sincerity as she spoke the words, and her heart began to thaw for the first time since she had returned to the world of flesh. To the world that she knew her kind did not wish to return to, and yet she had.

"I'm fine, you can let me down now," the words softened with the meaning behind them, "and thank you."

[Garland]

As much as Garland had wanted to keep his eyes on the two of the civilians with him, he couldn't. Oddly enough, he trusted them to an extent, leaving himself wide open if they were to suddenly attack. His mind was telling him to turn around, let the newcomer carrying the horned girl take the lead, but his heart trusted them well enough, especially the Ethaefel. He couldn't quite place his finger on it, but he felt that he had seen the celestial woman before.

The wet crunching of leaves and twigs underfoot betrayed their position to anyone that was even remotely close to their area, stealth was not an option this time, and neither was running towards the horses either, they had two injured individuals with them.

She looked over Alex, looking worse for wear, maybe it was a bad idea to press his wound... But it did seem like that it was what he needed to do at the time. He was quite worried about Alex, honestly an infection to the wound might get.

The winds chilled Garland's unprotected face, usually the spring winds would calm Garland, but right now, he was the only one able to hold a sword properly and defend their little ragtag group if things were to get hairy.

He could hear the horses now, the stomping of hooves on the ground and whinnying and neighing filled the usually quite air of the woods. Garland looked behind, seeing that Elu was in some sort of trance-like state, despite the darkness, he was glad they marked their way when they came into the forest.

He could hear the horses but they were still quite a ways away. He turned his attention to man that was carrying Eluri. "Ummm... Sorry about your sleeve by the way... I sorta... panicked. Thanks... ummm... what was your name again?" He said and looked at the boy, though in all honesty, they were probably around the same age or maybe the man was a bit older than Garland, he couldn't tell, it was dark in the woods.

As they finally made their way to the horses Garland looked over to the three of them. "You know how to ride, right?" He said, directing his attention to the man, Alex might have been able to ride as well, but he wouldn't want to reopen the wound oh his. "Just follow me and we should get out of here before five chimes."

Garland smiled at Eluri when she finally stood up. She seemed a bit better now, she must have been lucky to not get hit, though she did look quite tired after the whole ordeal, if Eluri was not so tired, he would suggest her to take the reins of Alex's Sungold. She was the calm, collected type after all. "I'm glad you're feeling better Eluri." He said with a joyful smile, though his face was still covered in blood, he did not notice it, despite the stickiness of it all though.

[Alexander Ross]

Alexander Ross Alexander coughed a few more times, before slowly getting back to his feet, his knees threatening to collapse underneath his weight. For a moment, he leaned against the tree for support while he tried to regain some of his strength. It worked for the most part, but his heart still thudded in his chest due to his previous exhertion catching up to him. He forced himself to breathe slowly in order to slow the rapid beat of his heart, and nearly caused himself to faint from holding his breath. Holding onto his injured arm, which seemed to be bleeding a bit through the sleeve, he stumbled his way after the others. He glanced at the other boy, who seemed to be carrying the Ethaefal. After a moment, he noticed that she had begun to come to her senses, which relieved him. He nodded at Garland, lazily kicking aside a small branch. "All right, let's move. Before something else tries to kill us." And before I faint... He added in his own mind. As he followed the three, he could just make out the faint glow of his Gildling, and used it to make his own way to the horses. As they finally made it, Digby gently nudged him, but the boy feeling so weak nearly fell over. "Easy... I'm not what I used to be..." He said, leaning up against the horse. He shook his head at what Garland said. "No... I'll be fine. I can ride." He did not have the best endurance, but he had always been a bit stubborn when it came to taking it easy.

[Tiath Othos]

Tiath had keep his eyes trained against the back knight the whole time, he was trying to let himself become distracted from everything around him, trying to not think of what had happened that night as impossible as the task was. He instead found himself focusing on the knights actions from before and his now ripped shirt, thinking about how it would cost him to replace it and just the general annoyance that he would have to deal with. I wouldn't have minded if you had just asked, I am not that heartless, he thought before finding himself being repulsed by his own thoughts, it wasn't like him to think that way, He is just looking out for his friend, I can't blame him for anything, I would have done the same thing to help him out.. He sighed in regret as he begun to open his mouth to enquire about the health of the younger squire when the knight turned around and spoke to him first.

He glanced at his sleeve again to assist the damage of it, it was just a sleave after all and he could easily get it fixed by anyone with some cloth, needle and thread. He lowered his head out of embarrassment and couldn't bring himself to meet the man's gaze, "D..Don't worry about it, you were just looking after your friend you never did anything wrong." His voice was very quiet as he spoke and only looking up to meet the man's gaze when he was asked his what his name was, blinking with a slight surprise that it was only now that he had been questioned his name, he paused for a slight thought and realised that no other time had really been quiet enough for such a question and this was the first time of quietness that they had since the attack, "Uh.. My name is Tiath, I am pleased to meet you sir" his mannerism instinctively kicking in even in a time like this, he started to take a slight bow when he remember the lady in his arms and forced himself to stop before he dropped or something like that.

His attention was given to the knight again when he was enquired about if he knew how to ride, "Um, I know how to but not too well" was all he said, slightly nervous about even saying that as it had been awhile since he had ridden a horse for anything more than around the fields that had surrounded the outpost. A wave of relief washed over him and it showed as the knight told them of the distance until they would reach the haven of Syilra's, Safety was all he could think about as glanced past the knight to where the horses were. His gaze crossed over the squire causing him to pause It also means that some of us can get help as well, I really hope that he is fine... He thought to himself before glancing down and wondering if the lady would also be needing to get help as well.

He was surprised when she spoke startling him slightly as she asking him to put her down, his face lighting up bright red as he felt very awkward again at the situation he had placed himself in. He blinked with surprise as she thanked him, unsure of why she would be as he felt like he was the one who should be thanking her, she had saved him from the attacking bandits after all. He decided against speaking however instead focusing on getting her back onto her own feet, carefully lowering her towards the ground and allowing her to stand on her own before he stepped away from her rather quickly, a mixed look of wary and worry clearly showing on his face as he watched her, "Are you sure your ok to be standing on your own? " He asked, not looking away from her as he watched for any signs of unsteadiness from her.

Trying to stick the edge of the group Tiath moved a little further away from its members as the knight spoke to the lady, allowing him some time to collect himself, his thoughts and begin to think things over. He couldn't figure out how he was supposed to feel about everything that had happened, he was grateful that he wasn't dead, that he would owe them for as long as they held him to it. It was more the loss of lives that was still making him feel so hollow, sighing to himself cause him to realise that even at this distance he could taste the scent of blood in the air, he wasn't sure if it even was really there or just the memory of it was. He shuddered and rubbed his shoulder nervously as he glanced over his shoulder back towards the trail they had come from before he skirted around the knight and the lady and moved towards the squire and his horse.

He really didn't know what to think of any of them either but he at least wanted to make sure the other was ok. Tiath closed the distance before noticing that the squire was resting against the horse and was also talking to the knight. A worried expression passing over his face before he again backed off as the squire spoke to the knight, not wanting to step of line and instinctively moving back to where he could keep an eye on the lady, both out of concern and to calm his worries. She helped save everyone's lives, she is not going to kill you now... Hopefully. He had heard the squire state that he was able to ride and it raised a question, "Um.. Who is riding with who?" He asked aloud before he realised how that sounded, "I mean, if your letting us ride with you back still that is, I don't mind walking as its not far you said.." He started to ramble on before shutting up, he didn't really want to walk back but he didn't want to cause any more trouble either.